If You Don't Tip Your Cabbie, You Might Get Held Hostage

We know that tipping is a touchy topic, but a cab driver in New Orleans appears to have gone a teensy-weensy bit too far in his attempt to wrest a 10% tip from his passenger and he’s now facing charges of extortion, simple assault and false imprisonment.

According to police, the 57-year-old female passenger was on her way to the airport — a $33 fixed fare ride — in New Orleans on Friday when the bad business went down.

She claims she had checked with the driver when she got into the cab that her card would be accepted for the fixed fare, and that it wasn’t until she arrived at the airport that he informed her he would be adding a 10% tip. The passenger refused and demanded that her card be charged.

When she attempted to exit the vehicle, the passenger says the doors were locked, that the driver attempted to grab her purse and allegedly told her, “You will pay me my 10 percent tip, or I will not let you go.”

The passenger claims they continued to argue for 30 minutes in the cab before she eventually called 911.

The driver tried to justify his actions by telling the deputy that arrived on the scene that the “tip” was instead a way for him to cover the fee he would have to pay for accepting the credit card. However, he had no right to demand the 10% because drivers are responsible for covering the credit card fee themselves.

In the wake of his arrest, the New Orleans Taxicab Regulation Bureau has seized the driver’s permit.